While we’ve known that an all-electric version of the Rapide S was coming in 2017, the automaker recently stated that an electric DBX would soon follow.
“We’re talking about an electric Aston Martin with between 800 and 1,000 horsepower — imagine having all that torque on demand,” Palmer said in an interview at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Conference in London.
Palmer went on to clarify that Aston Martin will focus on electric luxury cars, not sports cars, and that it doesn’t see Tesla as a future rival. The reason Palmer doesn’t see Tesla as a rival is because he estimates Elon Musk will focus more on the middle-class market, with upcoming vehicles like the Model III and rumored sub-Model X crossover.
Palmer stated that the automotive industry is clearly headed in the direction of electric powertrains, with battery technology advancing, becoming cheaper, and with emissions regulations tightening. However, Palmer made it clear that gas-engine performance engineering will continue to be a focus for the brand.
“We’re a V12 engine company,” the executive said. “Project that into the future. Do I go the way of the rest of the industry and downsize the engine? Do I see Aston Martin with a three-cylinder engine? God forbid. You’ve got to do something radical. Electric power gives you that power. It gives you that torque.”
As for hydrogen fuel cell technology, Palmer stated that, “we have to overcome the range anxiety, but that’s much better than the range panic that you’re going to get from having only four hydrogen stations in the U.K. there are plugs everywhere.”
